Use your photos....

You've hired the photographer, she's taken your picture. You are please with her work, then what? Use what she has made available to you. Personlize everything. These invitations for a bridal shower are far more interesting than the ones from Hallmark. They develop interest in the day to come, and peek the interest of the attendees. Most digital photographers can help you create an invitation, or take your images to a graphics business. I've known of siblings in junior high with a limited understanding of photoshop that can pull this off.

Pretty is as pretty does...

I just had to share this photo, Brittney will probably kill me. But it's the reminder to "have fun". Pictures are not video, but they don't have to be stiff and planned and predictable. Mix it up. Let the real you shine through.

For just one moment in time, every bride is a princess.

Make sure you "use" the light to your advantage. The veil looks brillant in this shot because it's "lit" from behind. The veil frames the bride and draws your attention to her. Which is as it should be.

...love gives us a fairy tale.

Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us fairy tale. It's that time and season when brides and grooms look loving at each other and ocassionally at the camera so I can catch a great shot to be used for engagment announcements.

When I'm asked, what should I wear? Should it be formal? Should it be casual? I always answer, it should be comfortable. Unless you are a professional model you are not used to being in front of the camera for an hour. If you dress comfortably, the awkward phase doesn't last as long.

Thanks to Cody and Brittney for allowing me to capture these photographs for them. It was a pretty cold day and they pulled it off with there warm smiles.

Details, details, details....

I'm often asked about how to prepare for a bridal shoot. So here's my top suggestions. Practice your hair, your makeup, even your smile. Can you pull off a solemn look? Do you even want too? Plan out your details, your jewelry, your hair up, your hair down, what kind of flowers you want to hold. And I always encourage a veil, at least for pictures. It can be a very effective prop for showing mood, emotions etc.

Also, plan for some fun. What makes your bridal session uniquely yours? Unlike any other brides? Other than your face above the white dress? Heather chose to have her picture done at the fire station because her honey is a firefighter. She also chose an vintage car museum because they share a love for old automobiles. What do you share with your fiance? The possibilities are endless...it could be motorcycles, tennis, soccer, an NFL football team. Think outside the traditional box and create a picture keepsake of something that is individually you.

What to do after the pictures have been taken....

Once you have invested in good photographs, then put them to work for you. You may parlay your engagement pictures into announcements, your family pictures into a Christmas card and your business pictures into advertisement. Pictures speak in a 3 dimensional way, they draw you in and make you feel things. They create interest and encourage questions, add a phone number and you are on your way to booking a new client.

Every family photograph is as unique as every family

It's always my goal when doing family photography of presenting you with something that is individual to your family. I will use traditional poses that you can hang in your family room and give copies to grandma. I also incorporate photos that bring memories to mind. Little time capsules that can create emotions when viewed 10 or more years from now. Pictures that act as seeds to recreate dialogue of what your family was and is. Each family is a work in progress, each member represents a thread that binds a family into one great quilt.

Snow presents it's own unique challenges....

This family actually bid on a photo-session with me. Thanks for not letting my donation sit there flat, its embarrassing if you offer something that nobody wants. Timing is everything, these pictures were taken early December for Christmas cards. And baby it is cold outside! If you choose to have your pictures taken in the snow you must do two things...wear good cold weather boots or shoes and pray for an overcast sky. The glare off sun bright snow is litterally blinding to you and the camera. Also you must be very very quick to avoid red ears and red drippy noses. I think we captured some fun images within our limitations.